Organized in 1881 by D.B. Gardner and Eugene F. Williams, it was
incorporated in 1883 as the Pitchfork Land and Cattle Company. The ranch is
headquartered near Guthrie, Texas, and also operated divisions near Laramie,
Wyoming, and Eskridge, Kansas.

The ranch used a three-pronged symbol that looked like a pitchfork.
The succession of general managers for the ranch was as follows: D. B. Gardner
served from 1883 until his death in 1928; from 1928-1930, A. Lambert managed
the ranch; Virgil V. Parr ran the ranch from 1930-1940; Rudolph Swenson served
a short term from 1940-1942; and the well-known D. Burns was ranch manager for
the Pitchfork Ranch from 1942-1965. Burns received a lifetime award in 1960
from the Texas Hereford Association

The collection contains correspondence, legal documents, financial
material, maps and charts, diaries, scrapbook material, printed material, news
releases, speeches, minutes and agenda, literary production, news clippings,
and photographs. A portion of the collection (1,170 leaves) is available on
microfilm. Also included are Virgil V. Parr's papers concerning his tenure on
the Wichita School Board from 1931-1933.